Fire near Ortega Highway 'under control'

Sept. 4, 2009

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 12:28 p.m.

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Wildfire firefighting hand crew start up the mountain to cear fireline on the ridge as they assist OCFA respond to a 25 acre vegetation fire on Ortega Hwy, 12 mi east of the County line, Friday, Sept 4. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The hand crew move as a team up the mountain to cear fireline on the ridge. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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OCFA firefighters work a water-tender collection pool that supplies hoses on the fire lines. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A message board on the 5 freeway tells southbound drivers that Ortega Highway is closed due to a brush fire early Friday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A water-dropping helicopter makes a drop along a ridge top in the Cleveland National Forest as a brush fire spread along Ortega Highway early Friday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A wildfire firefighting hand crew moves to the ridge on the mountain top to cear a fire line. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Wildfire hand crew members work their way up the mountain. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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An officer informs a motorist of the Ortega Highway closure due to a brush fire that broke out around midnight. The Highway will be closed until at least noon while firefighters attempt to shut down the blaze. Ken Steinhardt, The Orange County Register

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Small hot spots flare up as wildfire hand crews clear a fireline on the ridge as they assist in the response. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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An OCFA chopper drops a load of fire retardant onto the hillside. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A wildfire hand crew supervisor keeps an eye on his team. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Orange County Fire Authority firefighters watch for embers on the Ortega Highway in the Cleveland national Forest early Friday morning, September 4,2009. Fire started around midnight and has burned between 20-25 acres with 100 firefighters on scene from Orange County Fire Authority and U.S. Forest Service. RICHARD KOEHLER, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Orange County Fire Authority firefighters head up hill, fighting brush fire on the Ortega Highway in the Cleveland National Forest early Friday morning, September 4,2009. Fire started around midnight and has burned between 20.25 acres with 100 firefighters on scene from Orange County Fire Authority and U.S. Forest Service RICHARD KOEHLER, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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With the fire under control, arson investigators look for clues to the cause of the 25 acre vegetation fire on Ortega Hwy. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Fire fighters from various agencies along with water-dropping helicopters battled a brush fire along Ortega Highway early Friday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A wildfire hand crew clears a fire line on the mountain while working the 25 acre vegetation fire. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Fire fighters from various agencies work on hotspots during a brush fire along Ortega Highway early Friday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A fire fighters stands on a ridge top as a brush fire burns along Ortega Highway early Friday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A Cal Fire truck makes it's way along Ortega Highway early Friday morning at a brush fire. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A water-dropping helicopter makes a drop along a ridge top in the Cleveland National Forest as a brush fire spread along Ortega Highway early Friday morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A wildfire hand crew hose pack waits at the ready. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Freeway sign just prior to Ortega Highway warns of a closure by CHP till noon at this time. RICHARD KOEHLER, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Forest Service hand crew firefighters cool down and survey where they were on the mountain. KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Wildfire firefighting hand crew start up the mountain to cear fireline on the ridge as they assist OCFA respond to a 25 acre vegetation fire on Ortega Hwy, 12 mi east of the County line, Friday, Sept 4.KEN STEINHARDT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Fire

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CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST - A 25-acre fire near Ortega Highway, which shut down the road for most of the day Friday because of the proximity of the flames, is under control, officials said.

When the fire first broke out at about midnight two miles east of Hot Springs Canyon Road, fire officials feared the blaze would expand significantly with the help of dry brush and steep slopes. But by 9:30 a.m., fire officials said the fire 80 percent contained.

Ortega Highway, which was shut down when the fire first broke out, was reopened just before 6 p.m. Friday.

Firefighters attacked the fire by both ground and air, using two helicopters to make drops on the wildfire, said firefighter Marty Driscoll with the Orange County Fire Authority. Two additional helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft were also requested to help stamp out the fire before temperatures rose in the day.

Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Orange County Fire Authority responded to the fire at about midnight two miles east of Hot Springs Canyon Road, hoping to contain it in its early stages before it has the ability to spread to a larger area, said Brian Harris, public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service.

"We're a little concerned at the moment," Harris said at about 6:30 a.m.

The temperature in the area of the wildfire was about 70 degrees shortly after sunrise, with light winds out of the southwest. Art Horton, a National Weather Service forecaster, said temperatures could rise into the 90s in that area today, and the relative humidity could drop below 20 percent, making a brush fire harder to fight. (List of Orange County weather stations.)

Official were hoping to make as much headway as possible early in the day before that happened, but firefighters were dealing with extremely dry brush feeding the flames in steep terrain, making it more difficult to build a containment line, officials said.

One firefighter from a Cal Fire inmate hand crew who was working on cutting a containment line fell at a steep slope and broke her leg, Driscoll said. She was taken to a local hospital to be treated and was the only injury reported at the time.

The fire is currently headed in an easterly direction, but no structures are threatened at this time, he said.

Fire officials have identified the point of origin for the fire and have closed the area off for a pending investigation into the cause of the fire. The fire is believed to have started immediately adjacent to the south side of the highway, although the cause was not yet known.

The location of the fire was reminiscent of the Freeway Complex fire of November 2008, which was determined to have been sparked by a catalytic converter of passing vehicle. The freeway complex fire, sparked in extremely windy conditions, destroyed 203 homes in the county.

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